The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of UFC 237, Bellator 221

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday returned to Rio de Janeiro with UFC 237, while Bellator MMA countered with Bellator 221 in Rosemont, Illinois. With them came some good, some bad and some ugly.

THE GOOD: OPEN FLOODGATES

Rose Namajunas was in complete control of her second defense of the strawweight title in the UFC 237 main event. She showed an excellent mastery of the range, utilized great footwork and had plenty of power behind her well-executed punches. Then, it didn’t matter at all.

Jessica Andrade snatched victory from the jaws of what appeared on track to be a grossly lopsided defeat with a slam knockout in the second round. Her dramatic come-from-behind win not only represented a much-needed win for fans who witnessed their fellow Brazilians drop every other contest on the main card, but it also represented much-needed movement in a talent-rich and exciting 115-pound division. Despite twice beating the consensus greatest champion the weight class has seen, Namajunas’ stretch of injury-related inactivity began to define her title reign more than anything else. It had been over a year since she doubled down on defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 223, and the strawweight train kept moving while “Thug Rose” was recovering from a serious neck ailment.

Andrade’s victory opens the floodgates for new possibilities for the title picture. While a case can be made for Namajunas to cash in on the immediate rematch ticket that a few former champions have exploited, the potential challenges that await the newly crowned titleholder are plentiful and exciting. The winner of Nina Ansaroff-Tatiana Suarez would be a good logical direction in which to go. Ansaroff’s four-fight winning streak includes victories over former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Angela Hill and former UFC title challenger Claudia Gadelha, and her engagement to two-division queen Amanda Nunes could make for a great promotional angle if the couple can get booked for main and co-main event spots on the same card. Suarez is the undefeated fresh face who is expected to do great things. A potential shot at the belt could simultaneously serve as a cementing of Andrade’s reign and a career-defining moment for Suarez.

Michelle Waterson, who was in attendance in Rio as a promotional guest for the UFC, could also find herself wearing blue tape in Andrade’s first defense. Riding a three-fight winning streak and with the huge push that’s being given to “The Karate Hottie,” it wouldn’t be surprising to see the forces behind the marketing machine giving an extra boost to her desires to fight for the belt. Additionally, with Andrade getting her hand raised, the path looks clearer when considering that Namajunas finished Waterson in the recent past.

The alternate angles have even more importance because of Namajunas’ post-fight demeanor. While we typically see recently dethroned champions vow to reach the top of the mountain again -- Tyron Woodley and Stipe Miocic come to mind -- Namajunas was less enthusiastic about the idea. Openly pondering retirement may not be the best state of mind for a second run at the belt. No matter how the chips fall, one of the most entertaining and competitive divisions in the sport may be headed for some marquee matchups following such a great show in its first pay-per-view main event.

THE BAD: TURN THE PAGE

The hype train has officially stopped for Michael Page. Falling victim to a Ryu-style uppercut from Douglas Lima in the Bellator 221 co-headliner, the British striker was not only eliminated from the welterweight grand prix and any immediate shot at championship gold but distanced himself even further from the grand spectacle of flying knees, spinning kicks and Pokemon balls that followed him ever since his hyped entrance into Bellator.

Of course, there is no shame in losing to Lima. “The Phenom” has captured the welterweight crown twice and has been one of the world’s best in the division for many years. Following Rory MacDonald’s performance against Jon Fitch recently, Lima should be favored to walk away as both the welterweight titleholder and winner of the grand prix. I could have focused on the American Top Team representative while sipping a glass of the finest champagne 50 Cent has to offer, but it’s hard not to notice the downward trajectory of MVP.

Page did emerge victorious against heated rival Paul Daley in February, but the fight itself failed to deliver on the promise of fireworks. After he narrowly escaped with a win there, it was imperative that Page remind everyone watching why his presence in Bellator warranted so much attention. MVP was competitive in the opening round against Lima and showed good offense early in the second, but he ultimately fell short of erasing the memories of not living up to expectations.

None of this is to say Page is done as a fighter worth watching. Bellator can continue pairing him in style matchups that favor his flair for the dramatic, or it can elect to dial back the caliber of opponent just a bit to see what he may be able to offer the title picture in the future. Either method sounds reasonable and can lead to some fine entertainment. However, for now, we have seen Page’s ceiling.

THE UGLY: QUIET STORM

How far the mighty have fallen. There is literally no excuse for B.J. Penn to be an active competitor, much less a current UFC fighter. While the controversy swirling around his personal life is serious and deserves further examination, that’s not what we’re doing here. From the perspective of pure sport, Penn should not be fighting anymore. Period. End of story. The hall of famer is undoubtedly a legend and deserves respect for what he has done in the cage, but that only carries you so far. Among his many accomplishments, Penn holds the remarkable distinction of being one of the few fighters to win a UFC title in multiple divisions. Well, you can add setting the UFC record for consecutive losses to those accolades.

What are we doing? Why is this still happening? What is the endgame? Those are the questions that should be racing through the minds of anyone with a bit of knowledge of the sport who watched Penn in action on the UFC 237 undercard. “The Prodigy” could have faced Clay Guida 10 years ago. Had Guida defeated Diego Sanchez way back when, UFC 107 might have seen him challenge Penn for the lightweight championship. That could have been an incredible bout that featured Penn’s storied takedown defense and sharp boxing skills wearing away at the nonstop wrestling attack and relentless cardio of “The Carpenter.” Instead, a decade later, a largely ineffective and shopworn Penn was being outboxed and neutralized by a diminished and well-past-his-prime Guida.

While UFC President Dana White may no longer be able to keep certain beloved stars of yesteryear out of the cage by offering them figurehead executive positions with the company like he did with Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes, there’s no justifiable reason to keep offering Penn fights. While the Hawaiian’s legacy, title belts and highlight-reel moments can’t be taken away, continuing to showcase him does a huge disservice to the memories of one of the greatest fighters of all-time, a man who has been known to lick the blood off of his gloves when a battle was won. Once a proven headlining draw, Penn has been reduced to a heavy underdog opening a preliminary card. What was once the thunderous roar of a great career has dwindled into a low-volume whimper.